This unique study explores the relationship between informal financial systems, illegal migration and human smuggling. Focusing on Chinese illegal immigrants working in the US, it examines the motivation and patterns of the use of illegal fund transfer systems, providing a revealing insight into the workings of Chinese underground banks.

Linda Shuo Zhao is currently Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at University of the District of Columbia, USA. She received her PhD degree in Criminal Justice from Temple University and her research interests include criminology theory, transnational crime and the relationship between juvenile delinquency and structural and cultural context.

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Organized Crime or Illegal Enterprises 2. Research on Chinese Underground Banks 3. Chinese underground banks in the US-bound Illegal Immigration through Human Smuggling PART II: CHINESE UNDERGROUND BANKS IN CHINA AND THE OVERSEAS OPERATION IN THE UNITED STATES 4. Historical Background of Chinese Underground Banks: P'iao-hao and Qianzhuang, Old-style Native Banks 5. Re-emergence of Chinese Underground Banks in Mainland China: State Policy and the Financial Environment 6. Regional Variance in Growth of Underground Banks in Fujian 7. Underground Banks in the Migratory Waves in the United States PART III: THE MAIN CLIENTELE AND OPERATORS OF UNDERGROUND BANKS 8. The Main Clientele of Underground Banks 9. Individuals Operating Underground Banks and Operating Style  PART IV: THE UNDERGROUND BANKS IN U.S.- BOUND ILLEGAL MIGRATION AIDED THROUGH HUMAN SMUGGLING 10. The Central Role of Dialect-based Networks 11. Illegal Immigrants' Use of Underground Banks 12. The Shift Away from the Use of Underground Banks in Remittance Flows 13. The Role of Underground Banks in Illegal Migration Aided Through Human Smuggling  PART V: THE EVOLVING CHANGE OF UNDERGROUND BANKS 14. Key Findings 15. Practical Implications 16. Policy Implications Conclusion